Earth Legacy
by brezo-1816
Summary: The connection Dustin wished he never had... Dustin-centred Ninja Storm fic, occasional mentions of Dustin/Hunter.
1. Prologue

Hey guys, while I'm waiting for bunnies or inspiration or **something** to return to me so I can update For the Love of a Goof I thought I'd start posting this new fic that I have been working on for a couple of months now. What I've done so far has already been posted on PRUnited and there is a trailer for this fic and For the Love of a Goof on YouTube, just go to my profile and follow the links.

Hope you like this new fic. Please review, the first three or four chapters have already been written so I will update after I (hopefully) get a little feedback. Enjoy!

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**Prologue**

A soft growl of pain escaped from his lips as the wet towel was pressed onto his still fresh burns

A soft growl of pain escaped from his lips as the wet towel was pressed onto his still fresh burns. It didn't help that his companion couldn't hide his smirk.

"It's not funny," Hunter muttered. Dustin just smirked again as he pressed the wet towel onto another burn. Another moan of protest came from the blonde.

"In battle you are as tough as anything but afterwards you moan like a little girl."

"I don't!"

"You do." The firm but gentle reply silenced the crimson ranger. He turned and looked at Dustin, who still had a grin on his face. Hunter was about to say something but then decided against it. Silence remained until Dustin gathered the courage to say what was on his mind.

"…why did you do it?"

…

_A loud cackle escaped from Shimazu's lips as he watched the red and yellow rangers hit the nearest wall with terrible force. He released another blast of energy and they were thrown across the floor. The force of the blast broke the pair's morphs and they tried to pull themselves to their feet, no longer protected by their ranger suits._

_Shimazu had struck when the pair had been alone. Shane had called Cam for help but the others weren't there yet. Aware that the other rangers were coming, Shimazu had been quick and furious with his attack of the air and earth ninja._

_Shane ran towards him and tried to kick him followed by a punch but Shimazu used his superior strength to throw him off. With the two separated, Shimazu turned to Dustin. With another powerful blast the earth ninja was thrown back and again hit the wall._

"_Not even a worthy challenge," the general laughed as he clicked his fingers and formed a spark of fire, "…goodbye yellow ranger!" As he shrieked a huge ball of flames erupted and flew towards Dustin. Knowing that he didn't have time to avoid it he shut his eyes and guarded his face from the impact…which never came._

_A growl of pain from a familiar voice was heard and he opened his eyes to see the crimson ranger stood facing him. Hunter was slouching slightly and clutching the back of his shoulder but apart from that his suit seemed to have absorbed the flames._

_Grimacing slightly behind his helmet he turned to face Shimazu. Cam and Tori arrived at Dustin's side and gently pulled him to his feet while Blake went to help Shane, who seemed steady enough on his feet. Dustin almost gasped in shock when he saw Hunter's back. In some areas the flames had burned through his suit and there were deep red patches on his back where the fire had reached his skin. If he was in any pain, however, the thunder ninja didn't let it show._

_The six of them lined up to face Shimazu._

"_Ready?" Cam called to the other five. There was no need. Shimazu did not fancy the idea of facing the six of them alone._

"_We will continue this another time, rangers!" the general watched Dustin for a short moment before disappearing in his usual way. Only Cam and Shane seemed to notice the way Shimazu had been looking at their friend._

_Dustin wanted to go straight to Hunter but the navy ranger was already by his brother's side, supporting him._

"_We'd better get back to Ninja Ops," said Cam. They all nodded and streaked away, the crimson streak supported by the navy, with the yellow streak close by…_

…

Hunter shrugged his shoulders. Dustin was disappointed by the simple response but he stayed silent. Hunter did the same even though he knew there was so much he needed to say.

"Hey bro, how you feeling?" greeted Blake as he jogged into the room. Hunter smirked at his brother.

"I've been better." Blake laughed and slapped his brother on the shoulder, earning a cry of pain from Hunter and a look of disapproval from Dustin. After seeing the look on the earth ninja's face Blake held up his hands in submission and left the room, offering the crimson ranger one last smirk before he left.

Blake left the medical room and came back into the main room where Tori was waiting at the side as Cam and Shane were in deep discussion. The navy ranger approached Tori.

"What's up with them?" The water ninja shrugged her shoulders.

"I heard the words 'Shimazu' and 'Dustin' but I couldn't catch anything else." Deciding that if it was to do with their friend then they should all know Blake spoke up.

"Hey guys, what's wrong?" Shane and Cam turned around to face them. Shane answered for the pair.

"Nothing…it's just, Shimazu looked at Dustin before he disappeared."

"…okay…so what?"

"Well, it's just the way he was looking, as if he was planning something…and it had something to do with Dustin." They all looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

"It may have been nothing…but I suggest you all proceed with caution, especially around Shimazu," they turned around to see Sensei standing on the small table, "With cannot afford to take chances with Lothor and his generals, especially one of them seems to have taken a particular interest in Dustin." They all nodded their agreement. They turned back around when they heard someone walking in.

"Hey Dustin," Tori greeted her best friend with a smile, "how's Hunter?"

"He's just resting for a bit, the wounds don't look too serious," the yellow ranger replied with a smile as he walked in. He passed the remaining medical kit back to Cam. Shane turned to his green samurai friend and gave him a look that didn't need speech:

_You let Dustin play doctor beeecaaaause…?_

Cam smirked and sent him a look back that said:

_I'll tell you when you're older._

Shane frowned at his friend's cheeky response but didn't pursue the point further. He looked over at Tori who was poking Dustin in a teasing way. The yellow ranger was wearing a rather deep blush and Shane was even more confused than before.

Back by the computer Cam was doing research on a particular subject and nobody noticed the look of concern that was spreading across his face…

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You like? Yeeeeees? Then please review! Chapter 1 coming soon...


	2. Deadly Dream

Thanks so much for the reviews guys, I didn't expect to get so much feedback after just the first chapter.

So here is the next chapter. I hope you like it, please review!

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**Deadly Dream**

The back of the ship was quieter than the front. There was none of the loud arguments, shouts or growls…so when he heard footsteps approaching Lothor turned to face the one he had reluctantly agreed to meet.

The room was very dimly lit so it took a moment for the space ninja to focus on the other's face. The man facing him was very old, his long hair was grey and the dim light gave it a silvery glow. His eyes were brown but held a hint of yellow around the edges, giving him a sinister, beast like glare when he focused on anything.

"Are you sure about this? I'm not prepared to waste my time on a wild goose chase…" the old man laughed quietly and shook his head.

"Oh ye of little faith, then again you never had much patience, Kiya…" the old man said softly, "…your training that I saw while at the academy proved that…"

"I'm not here to gossip about old times," Lothor interrupted with a subtle snarl, "If you're sure he's the one then continue with your plan, if not then you can crawl back to wherever it is you've been hiding all these years…"

"Oh he's the one…I had your general take this down with him during his attack on the red and yellow rangers," the old man held out a dark gem that had been shaped to resemble a claw, "it glowed when he was near, his power and control over his element is strong, stronger than you or your enemies realise." Lothor gave an indignant snort in reply. The old man just smirked.

"Fine…continue with your plan…if you're sure this isn't a mistake."

"I'm sure of this…and he will be secured soon, the only question is whether Kanoi is already aware of our discovery…"

…

"So…" Dustin turned to look at his best friend, who wore a very cheesy grin on her face.

"Don't…" he warned with a small frown before she could speak.

"Oh c'mon! You obviously like him…" Dustin groaned in frustration and got off the sofa where he was sitting. He started to pace back and forth across the living room in the apartment he shared with Tori.

"Tori, I've only known him long enough to be friends…and what makes you think I like him like that anyway?" Tori rolled her eyes but didn't reply as she heard the phone ring. She immediately got up and walked to the table where the phone rested.

"Hello? Hey Blake!" Dustin gave her a sarcastic look and Tori stuck her tongue out at the earth ninja, "…yeah we're free…Hunter's coming too right? Awesome!" Dustin groaned in frustration.

"Okay, we'll see you in ten…bye!" She set the phone down and laughed at Dustin's expression.

"**Why** did you do that? I don't want to go out!"

But Tori wouldn't take no for an answer and two minutes later he was reluctantly following her out of the front door.

…

"So…" Hunter sighed and looked at his brother who was sitting opposite him at the café.

"Don't…" he muttered with a glare. Blake laughed.

"What? Don't even** try** telling me you don't like him…" Hunter made an effort to turn away from his brother but Blake just left his own seat and sat next to him. The navy ranger stared at his crimson comrade without even blinking. It went on for thirty seconds before Hunter finally cracked.

"Okay…so what if I do? It's not like anything's gonna happen…" he muttered glumly. Blake shrugged and glanced over Hunter's shoulder with a growing smile.

"You never know…" Hunter followed his gaze and saw Tori and Dustin walking towards the café. Tori waved at them through the window just before they reached the door. Blake rolled his eyes at the girl's antics but was grinning from ear to ear none the less.

"Hey guys!" She greeted as the pair approached the table. She was just about to sit down next to Blake when they all heard a familiar beeping which was followed by four groans.

"Pleeease tell me you're kidding!" Blake moaned. Tori looked very disappointed as she lifted her morpher.

"What's up Cam?"

"It's Shimazu again, except he's got kelzacks with him this time," the green samurai replied from Ninja Ops, "they're by the library."

"Okay, that's only two blocks away, we'll handle it," she told Cam before nodding to the others. Blake left money for the bill and the four of them sprinted out of the café and towards the library…

…

"He's on his way." The old man said calmly as he watched events unfold from Lothor's ship. In his hands he was holding a black jar. On the lid of the jar was the gem he had shown to Lothor.

"Shouldn't you be getting down there? I'm not letting you hang around here like a bad smell if you're not gonna do anything useful…" The old man attempted to glare at his young oppressor.

"Don't forget, Kiya,** I **was the one who taught you how to summon the dark ninja powers…" Lothor said nothing, he just smirked. Obviously irritated, the old man disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke…

…

Shimazu let out a cry of anger as the final remaining Kelzacks were knocked to the ground. The four ninjas lined up, unmorphed as so far there hadn't been a need. None of them noticed the cloud of smoke that floated in from the sky and hid behind a nearby pillar.

The old man appeared behind and turned to watch the fight, the black jar still clutched tightly in his hands. He seemed very impressed by what he saw.

Tori ran forward and hit Shimazu with a powerful punch to the gut. Blake spun around and kicked him square in the chest. He flew backwards onto a grass area and tried to pick himself up. Before he knew what was happening he felt a sharp blow to his back and was pushed forward. Dustin had snuck up behind him and delivered a powerful kick to his lower back. Now Hunter was in front of him, delivering several punches before throwing him to the ground.

Just behind the pillar, the old man let out a dry laugh before slowly opening to black jar. A strange looking mist, barely noticeable and yet as red as blood, slowly seeped out of the open top. It stopped just in front of the old man before slowly creeping around the pillar. It moved around for a minute, as if searching for someone…until it started moving forwards…towards Dustin.

The four ninjas were too distracted by Shimazu to notice the small cloud of mist approaching the earth ninja. It stopped just below Dustin's face and with one innocent, deep breath the whole lot was inhaled into Dustin's lungs. The young brunette was suddenly overcome by a huge coughing fit. Tori and Hunter turned to him with surprise and worry.

"Ha ha! …well yellow ranger…**enjoy**!" Shimazu cackled before disappearing. No one noticed the old man wearing an evil smile before he himself disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Blake turned to the other two. Hunter was at Dustin's side while Tori was hovering around the pair with a worried look. The earth ninja was now on his hands and knees but the coughing seemed to be subsiding.

"You okay bro?" Blake approached his friend. Dustin nodded numbly but couldn't offer a verbal answer.

"Did Shimazu know that was going to happen?" asked Tori but no one knew what to say. They all agreed to head back to Ninja Ops and streaked off, Dustin being supported by Hunter.

…

"Mission accomplished sir!" Shimazu reported to Lothor in a proud and haughty voice. Lothor looked at the old man, who nodded smugly.

"Excellent," the space ninja smirked.

…

Splashing water on his face did nothing to help Dustin's low energy. He hadn't even broken a sweat during the fight with Shimazu and yet he now felt completely exhausted.

He headed into his bedroom and changed into a light t-shirt and shorts before flopping onto his bed. He felt his eyes begin to drift close as soon as his head touched the pillow…

…

_His fingertips brushed across the surface of the tree trunk. He was in his element. He could feel the beat of life inside the wood. He could trace every vein of every leaf, every grain of pollen, every petal from the blossoms; it was as if he was one with the nature that surrounded him._

_Suddenly the feeling changed. The beat of life slowly drifted away, it was replaced by a dull cry of despair, as if the tree was taking its last breath._

_He looked at his hand that was touching the tree, it was surrounded by a blood red aura. He realised that it was him that was causing the tree to die. He could feel its life force being drawn into his fingertips and then flowing through him, filling him with power and energy._

_When he looked around he saw that __**all**__ of the plants were dying. The trees were running dry, the flowers were shrivelling up and the grass was turning brown._

_But he knew he didn't care. Their energy was flowing from them into him…and it filled him with ecstasy. He loved the feeling of taking their life force away and claiming it as his own. The life running through them was no longer theirs to use or control. He could take everything for himself and leave them to die without it…_

_And he __**loved**__ it!_

_He turned around and saw a puddle of water on the ground. He stooped down low and looked inside. There he saw a familiar pair of chocolate brown eyes and brown curly hair._

_Recognizing the face he hauled himself back…_

…

Dustin suddenly sat up in bed, covered in a cold sweat. Despite how he had felt earlier he now felt rejuvenated. But there was a sudden and clear feeling of fear in his heart.

He looked around the room and saw the mirror at the other end. He got out of bed and staggered over to it. In the mirror he saw the same eyes…and the same hair…

"Was that………**me**?!"

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**What is happening to Dustin? Next chapter: _Harsh Reality_, coming soon!**


	3. Harsh Reality

Thanks again for the reviews guys, here's the next chapter - sorry for the wait!

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**Harsh Reality**

"Was that………**me**?!" Dustin studied his reflection. He saw the cold beads of sweat running down his face, the ruffled hair, the slightly bloodshot eyes and… He looked closer. Telling himself he was seeing things he turned on his bedroom light. When he went back to the mirror again it was gone but he could have sworn he'd seen a glimmer of yellow in his eyes…

…

The computer at Ninja Ops turned off with a click. Cam turned to his father.

"Do you think it's true?" The guinea pig pondered for a moment before turning back to Cam.

"It is possible… if Lothor has met with him then I'm sure that is the course of action they have taken."

"Who is the old man?"

"In the Wind Ninja Academy he was known as Gosai Shikkan, he was an Earth ninja teacher…but he was tempted by the dark powers…he was banished when his practises were discovered…later we found out he was the one who had taught Lothor how to summon dark ninja powers." Cam sat in silence, unsure of what to say.

A few minutes later, the innocent subject of their conversation walked into the room.

"Dustin…we need to talk to you." Cam told his friend gravely. Dustin immediately seemed on guard when the samurai said that…and it didn't go unnoticed by his sensei.

"Dustin, did anything strange happen to you during or after the battle yesterday?"

"You mean apart from that weird coughing fit?" Dustin wanted to tell them about the nightmare and how he had felt afterwards…but he felt a strange force inside him, commanding him to stay silent…

"No, nothing strange happened after that."

"Anything unusual when you were at home or while you were sleeping?"

"Not that I know of, everything was fine." Inside Dustin was shocked by how he could suddenly and so easily lie. He also noticed how the questions were making him frustrated. It was as if he had to prove himself to the pair.

"Are you sure?" asked Cam.

"Yes! I just said so didn't I? Nothing happened! I got home, had a shower and then went to bed, nothing happened!" Cam seemed taken aback by this sudden outburst but nodded gently and looked over Dustin's shoulder as he heard the others walk in.

"Hey Dustin, feeling better today?"

"I'm fine Tor, there was nothing wrong in the first place," the earth ninja replied while glaring slightly at the samurai. Tori watched the eye contact but Dustin broke away when he realised she was watching. He walked to the side and listened silently as Sensei announced what training he wanted them to do. Today it would be sparring. Dustin was paired with Blake, Hunter with Shane and Tori with Cam.

As the battle between him and the navy ranger began, Dustin let all the energy he had gathered the night before flow through his body and fill him with adrenaline.

As the sparring sped up Dustin delivered punches and kicks with such speed and agility that Blake could barely keep up. The thunder ninja had worked up a sweat within minutes whereas Dustin looked like he had barely even started.

Most of the other ninjas were too busy in their own matches to watch but it did not escape the notice of another Thunder ninja. Hunter managed to keep Shane occupied while still keeping one of his eyes on Dustin, who was fighting with a fierce determination you would find in a fight with Lothor, not a friend.

When practise was ended Dustin made his excuses and left straight away. He left four ninjas, a guinea pig and a very battered navy ranger staring after him…

…

Only when he reached the deepest point of the woods next to the waterfall did he stop running. His head felt like it was going to explode. His muscles ached and his joints were stiff. He tried to take one step further but collapsed against the nearest tree.

Exhaustion took him and his eyelids began to close…

…

_The first thing he saw was his reflection… what were once chocolate brown eyes were now black with a small yellow glow. His expression held none of the enthusiasm and happiness that it was usually known for._

_A cry of pain drew his attention. When he turned around he saw Tori on the floor, clutching her side in pain. When she looked at Dustin he could see the pain and heartbreak in her eyes. There were tear stains on her cheeks._

_Next to her was Blake. He was trying to reduce the flow of blood from a wound on his leg. His eyes were tight shut to try and ignore the pain but also so he didn't meet the eyes of the young man he thought was his friend._

_Shane and Cam were in front of them but it no condition to fight. Cam was bleeding steadily from a wound in his stomach and had a bloody hand over his left eye. His other eye held all the fury that he felt from his best friend's betrayal._

_Looking at the all and looking at their serious injuries made Dustin realise that…he didn't care. In fact, he __**enjoyed **__seeing them like this. It made him feel powerful._

_He realised there was one face he hadn't seen. He turned around and was greeted by a pair of icy blue eyes. The looked they held shocked and angered Dustin. They held no pain, no anger, no hatred and no resentment…just sadness. Despite the broken bones, the bruises and the bloody cuts all over his body, Hunter couldn't bring himself to be angry at Dustin…only sad that he had lost him._

_Furious that he had failed to stir up hostile emotions in the thunder ninja, Dustin focused all his energy into his hand. Blake and Tori cried out but there was nothing they could do. Dustin released the huge burst of energy. It knocked Hunter several feet into the air, held him there for a moment…and then slammed him to the floor with a sickening crack. Dustin smirked at the sight and the cries of his ex-comrades…until Hunter's head rolled to the side…and his dead and empty but still open eyes stared at Dustin. They pierced into his heart like a blade of ice and he shut his eyes as tight as he could…_

…

As the five rangers looked through the woods, their sensei's words echoed in their minds…

_I fear Dustin has been corrupted by an evil force…it is known as the 'Dark Legacy of the Earth Ninja' …if we do not help Dustin…we may lose him forever…_

Upon those words Shane had been the first to suggest they go out and look for him and the rest had immediately agreed. Now they followed their ninja instincts, which were leading them to the woods by the waterfall.

They were about to split up when they heard a blood curling scream. Terrified that something had happened to Dustin, they streaked to the place where the scream had come from.

When they reached the small clearing where Dustin was, they saw that he had obviously just woken up. Shane stepped towards him.

"Hey bro…you alright?" he took another step towards his friend but Dustin cried out.

"Get away from me! **Don't touch me!**" His reaction stunned his friends who immediately took a step back, except for Tori.

"Dustin what's wrong? Please tell us…" she pleaded but he turned his back on her. She stepped forward and took his arm but she didn't expect the reaction. He turned around and wrenched his arm from her grip, striking her across the face in the process. She held her cheek in shock. Blake and Cam were furious, Shane and Hunter couldn't believe what they had seen.

Before any of them could say anything, Dustin streaked away into the distance. Hunter watched him go for a moment and then turned back to where he had been. It was then that they all noticed…

The small area in which he had been…was all dead. The tree was nothing but lifeless bark, the plants were brown and shrivelled and the ground was littered with the brown, crunchy flowers and buds that had fallen…

"I'm gonna go find him…go back to Sensei…tell him what happened." Hunter said quietly and they all agreed although Hunter was sure Shane wanted to go with him. But he wanted to go alone…he wanted Dustin to explain in his own words…

They all streaked off…crimson going in one direction, the others going in another…

…

He didn't know why he had reacted like that, or why he had run away. The fact that he had hit Tori was bad but that didn't concern him right now. What did concern him was the fact that he was suddenly full of energy…again at the cost of other living things…but his head felt like it was on fire…

"Dustin…Dustin!"

_Kill him…__**KILL HIM!**_

The voice in his head was so loud that he almost couldn't hear the other voice catching up with him.

When Hunter finally reached him he took Dustin's arm.

"Dustin, what **happened** back there?" There was worry in the thunder ninja's eyes but Dustin couldn't see it. He violently threw off Hunter's hand and clutched his head as if it there was a foghorn inside it, screaming at him.

"I…I don't want to…I don't…no…**NO!**" The earth ninja's eyes were now shut tightly and he was staggering in all directions.

"Don't want to what? Dustin? What's wrong?" Hunter stepped towards him but drew back when Dustin let out a scream.

"No…please…please don't make me…I…I don't want to…" Dustin pleaded but not to Hunter. The crimson ranger took his comrade by the shoulders.

"Don't want to do what? Tell me, Dustin, **please!**"

"I…I don't want to hurt him…"

"Who?"

"**HUNTER!**" The thunder ninja dropped his hands in shock. Something was telling Dustin to hurt him? But why?

Dustin cried out and clutched his chest in agony. Hunter's head told him to stay away but his heart couldn't bear seeing Dustin in pain. He stepped forward and in one swift movement he spun Dustin around, took the earth ninja in his arms and held him as tightly as he could. Dustin seemed to struggle at first but Hunter to used one hand to gently stroke his hair.

Any energy that Dustin had had seemed to dissolve and he collapsed completely into Hunter's embrace.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered before passing out…

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**Why is Dustin trying to hurt his friends? Next chapter coming soon!**


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